March 20, 2017

On Thursday, May 25th, SACE will be hosting its annual fundraising and awareness gala at the Shaw Conference Centre. The evening will include musical entertainment, plated dinner, special guests, as well as silent and live auctions. The theme of this year’s event is “The Art of Healing”. Art therapy is one of the many therapeutic trauma modalities utilized by the 14 trauma therapists at SACE.

This year, we are proud to announce that Jillian Marino, a survivor of a horrific act of sexual violence, will be our guest speaker. Jillian, now the Principal at JD Bracco Junior High School, has shared her story as a keynote speaker with Victim’s Services volunteers, Conferences for Crown Prosecutors, Violence against Women Events, and for the Edmonton Police Service over the years. Her very impactful end empowering presentation will be one of hope, strength, and victory in the healing journey after trauma.

As difficult as it is to understand, statistics consistently indicate that, in Canada, 1 in 3 women and at least 1 in 6 men will experience sexual violence before the age of 18. Since 1975, SACE has been providing professional, essential services and support to survivors ages 3 and up of all genders. These services include individual and group counselling, extensive, age and audience-specific public education programs, diversity outreach and support to marginalized communities, court support, as well as a 24-Hour Sexual Assault Crisis Line. We are the only agency in the City of Edmonton to provide this range of services to the community at no fee. All proceeds from the We Believe Benefit will be directed towards services and support for our clients and our community.

With statistics as high as they are, and whether we realize it or not, we all know someone who has been affected by this crime. Please help us support the many survivors in our community on their healing journey by making a contribution to our event through sponsorship, donating to our silent auction, and most importantly through your attendance!

Listen. Believe. Support. We can all do something. Please know that your “something” will make a difference.